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Le Petite Guerre

Le Petite Guerre

A Strategy Game set in the American Revolutionary War

Introduction

La Petite Guerre is a strategic game set in the beginning of the American Revolutionary War.

The starting point is the Battle of the White Plains often referred as the last real chance of General Howe to militarily crush the American uprise once and for all. Washington had to abandon New York, the Battle of Long Island and other encounters proved rather a difficult starting point for the American cause.

The game will lead the players over New Jersey towards Philadelphia and the underlying question will be: Is the British player be able to quickly concentrate the his forces to crush a large enough American contingent to break the spirit of the rebellion or will Washington escape?

Not all the units are placed on the map, just the commands and even they could be decoys! The combat system is card-driven and related to the seniority of your sub-commanders. To move an army fast from A to B can be a challenging task as terrain, weather, attrition (desertion) and the lack of supply might ruin, your troops faster than the enemy!

I designed this board game initially as a campaign rules set for a American Revolutionary War table top campaign, but I like to think it should also stand on its own.

I hope you enjoy!

Michael Schneider

The turn sequence

The American player will start with the turn and the

1. Command phase in which he explores if all or enough of his units are be able to be given commands to move or to do battle or if he chooses to put them "on recce" etc. He will also draw one action card and can play action cards. Followed by the

2. Movement phase in which he moves all his units within the capacity of the stacking rules and the allowance terrain and weather and enemies nearby will give him. Then in the

3. Combat phase, if one or more of his units share one hexagon (hex) with a unit or more of the opponent, he can declare an attack and do battle using the combat rules. After all possible or contacts have been resolved he can up grade his resources in the

4. Reinforcement phase.

He can buy new troops and detach new arrivals according to the time table and the supply and recruitment chart in case he "bought" units for reinforcements in previous turns. Then this the British Players turn and so forth.

Goal of the Game:Capture Washington and Philadelphia. For the American player is to prevent this. It will be palyed from October 1776 until end of March of 1777 with every month having 4 turns, the equivalent of approximately one week.

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The Command phase

IN COMMAND – The units can be given orders to move and or to combat another units etc. To be able to do so, they must be „in command“, i.e. in the command range of a commander depending on his ranking number. Any commander can put any number of units „in command“.

Everybody else must be within their command radius to do so (to build a chain of continuos commander). Units without command cannot act, only defend.

Units without any leader can put them selves into command on a roll on 1in6. Units in command can move and or attack. Units without command stay at the same spot and can only defend. One cannot „sent“ orders through an enemy occupied hex.

You can place the combat units on the command rack. That keeps the main board free for easy handling and also attributes towards the „fog of war“. Single units without any commander may be placed on the board directly or under a phantom marker (5 provided) or you can use the phantom marker as decoy without any units, but be aware that the opponent can see your command rack!!!

Command and Reconnaissance Radius

Reconaissance – Some units, apart from artillery and the baggage trains have the ability to reveal enemy strength. Any units within the reconnaissance range (one less than the command range) must be placed on the actual map for that turn or if inconvenient for stacking been pointed revealed on the „command rack“ so that the opponent gets to see the amount of troops. Any unit or commander can either use its command or its reconnaissance skill. Please note: Units or units under a commander that use the latter are NOT „in command“.

Action cards – At the beginning of the phase the player can draw one action cards. The Phasing player as well as the opponent can play action cards at any time. Maximum number of action cards on hand are three. Cards can be discarded or be played. Cards apply to one hex only, if not otherwise noted.

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The Movement phase

Units can only be moved once per turn according to their movement points (see unit specification table). One point to enter another hexagon up to their full allowance.

Depending on the terrain condition or the weather they have to add or deduct movement points. As with any bonus it always applies just once, singularly per turn, i.e. no matter how many hills an infantry has to pass or enter the movement deduction will be always 1 per turn. (see „Additional Movement and other Combat Adjustments table“). A unit can move up to its normal speed on the road and over bridges (that are roads over rivers). To cross rivers without a bridge takes two turns (engineers or bateauxs or barges have to have their time!). The movement of a unit cannot be reduced below 1. Units cannot stay within the same hex of enemy units without a combat. They have to engage or leave the hex.

Forced March – Units that perform „Forced marches“ will add +1 to their movement, but suffer a attrition and must flip their token to the other side. Attrition can be lost by „resting“ in a settlement for one turn, (winterquarters) and receiving one „Recruitment“ point.

Combining and re-grouping forces – A Unit that had suffered from attrition can be added into two other units suffering attrition and thus leveling them to an normal, the former unit then of course cease to exitst and has to be taken off board. Forces of unequal troop type can never be combined. Units already under trength that suffer again „Attrition“ or that are unsupplied can turn one under strength unit back to normal or will dissolve.

Stacking Limit – Any number of units can occupy a single hex (battle). Three infantry units can move together in the same hex without any movement reduction. (including any number of commander and one artillery and one dragoon unit. Baggage trains do not count against it). 4 infantry will deduct the movement by minus one, 3 by 2 and so forth. The train of troops only moves at the slowest rate of the participating unit. Or you leave units behind.

All the Combat boni and movement penalty are singular; once a unit entered hills, for example, and has „paid“ the additional movement point, it can cross as many hill hexes as possible with the rest of its movement. The same is true for combat, no matter how many grenadiers might be present at a fight, the bonus is +1. Stacking is just 3 Infantry plus special units.

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The Combat phase

Units that clash within one hex must do battle, even retreat is not automatical.

Call for reinforcements – Before the combat each commander can call for reinforcements to get more or better troops on his side. The further away the units the lesser the possibility that the units will arrive. For example is the unit 2 hexes away need the commander a roll of 5 or 6 to succeed. (see „Call for reinforcements“ tables). Three hex is the maximum distance reinforcements can be called. Reinforcements gain a second movement under the movement rules, i.e. if it is impossible to concentrate the unite under the normal movement rules, the units will come to the nearest possible hex. Reinforcement moves are the only possibility were the slowest units does NOT dictate the movement of the whole stack and the units may scatter. Also no lesser commander can order or call from a superior for troops. For each stack or hex the „caller“ need to throw a dice (see for „Call for reinforcements“ tables for scores and boni).

To combat the engaged forces combine their total combat strength and add any relevant combat boni for troop types participating, comander, terrain, weather or supply condition or units suffering attrition / that are understrength and the the boni for combat strengt ratio.

Then the players draw cards equal to the rank of the highest participating comander from their stack of 6 combat cards. These represent then the battlefield tactics (with chances of inflicting casualties in 6, i.e. „Charge“ is 6in 6 and so forth) the player can choose from in this particular battle. So a general like Washington is able to choose from all cards, while a brigade leader like maybe Glover only may choose from 2! The charge card cannot be played if the unit ratio bigger than 2:1. After the player decided which combat card they will choose they consult the „Combat Resolution Chart“ and see for the results.

For example: The Brittish player is able to choose „Charge!“ while at the same time the American player decides for „Refusing the Flank!“ will find himself victorious the „Loyality Index“ will go down (-1)note that the supply and re-inforcement aditions/reductions will take immediately. The American will suffer 2 combat strength casualties plus the combat boni of the British player, while the British will only suffer 1 plus the boni of the American player (see Combat resolution chart). Finally the American player also has to leave the hex. Please note that the action cards can be played at any time by any player, but within reason, i.e. a card that affects the combat boni must be played before the battle takes place, i.e. the combat cards are revealed.

Loss ratio – Losses have to be taken in the following order: 1st casualty Militia (or Levies), 2nd casualty Militia or Levies, 3rd casualty Regular Infantry, 4th casualty Regular Infantry, 5th casualty Artillery, 6th casualty Dragoons (then start from Militia again). If one group is not represented, losses have to be taken from the next group. Rifle men and Jaegers count as Regulars. Understrength units can be instantly combined with others, see attrition rules.

IF no under strength unit is available the unit dissolves!!! Participating Commanders will get killed or captured at 2in 6 Chance!.

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The Reinforcement phase

Supply determination – At the start of the phase the player determines the supply status for all his units, i.e. checks if any unit are unsupplied.

Units are within supply that are within one hex with a settlement (Port, Town, Fort or Village) or or a road, that can draw a connection without any enemy occupied hex to another friendly settlement. In that constellation (of two settlements connected ) we just for the sake of this game presume the supply capacity is limitless.

In case the supply only traces to one settlement the capacities are as follows:

Village – one brigade, (.e. 3 infantry corps and one dragoons and one artillery)

Fort – two brigades

Town – four brigades

Port – limitless.

Baggage train – functions as a travelling village, i.e. it can supply either

a) a complete army (limitless) for one turn, or

b) can function as a village and a settlement within 3 hexes of a road

By razing the Player can “extraxt“ the double amount of supply capacity from the settelment, but the settlement cannot supply then for the rest of the year, and must receive a razed marker. and the player will receive a -2 on the LI index.

For the British player the rivers count as roads for supply purposes.

Any unit found unsupplied suffers imediately the status „unsupplied“ with all its combat and movement boni and receives a marker.

Troops that are already unsupplied will suffer attrition and become understrength. i.e. have to turn their token side and stay unsupplied (marker!). After a 3rd consecutive turn the unit dissolves.

Unsupplied unit can be re-organised into normal units as within the combining and re-grouping forces rules, but transform the new unit into unsupplied status

Reinforcements – At the end of this phase each player will roll a dice for men and supply points and will check with the timetable for additional reinforcements in „supply points“ (representing equipment, forage and payment and ammunition) and „recruitment points“ (representing drafted or recruited new volunteers and soldiers). On the unit specification chart one will find how many of each points are needed and how long it will take to „built“ new units and which settlement is needed to provide as a starting point where the finished unit will/ can appear.

All points can be accumulated into next turns.

Points are due to be paid in the turn the unit is „ordered“. Paid and „ordered“ units due to appear should be placed on the timeline when they deemed to be ready / appear.

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Special rules

The Hudson – serves as a river only for the British player and as coast for the American. The American Player can only cross it with the help of the action card „Supreme engineering“.

The Hudson Forts – are at the start in American hand and the British player cannot launch any sea borne action above the forts (landings) IF TWO of the forts are in hand of the American Player.

The Landings – The British can attempt a landing on each coastal hex that is not swamp or enemy controlled, for that term the Hudson counts as coast. The British Player announces a landing and places unit in a port not controlled by the enemy and not razed. For each one brigade participating in the landing the preparation takes one turn (For example the British player wants to prepare a landing with 8 brigades that would take preparations for 2 month) Brigades are as movement rules, three infantry units an artillery and a dragoon unit.

The „Landing“ combat bonus is -1 for the seaborne invader and a +1 at the same time for the defender. After the landing the units involved cannot move for one turn.

Landings are impossible in „Snow“ weather conditions and will be postponed until the weather „clears up“.